The veteran actor, who was in Patna, agreed to be part of the Bitiya Bachao Andolan (Save the daughter movement) initiative by Bihar government.

Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff will lead a campaign against female foeticide launched by the Bihar government to prevent the rampant killing of girl child in the state.

Shroff, who was in Patna to attend a Dandiya nite during Durga Puja, agreed to be part of the campaign after health minister Ashwini Choubey offered him to join the Bihar government's campaign called Bitiya Bachao Andolan (Save the daughter movement) to raise awareness among the people in the state, especially in the rural areas, against the killing of girl child in her mother's womb.

Shroff, who visited Choubey's official bungalow and performed puja of Goddess Durga there, said that he would visit Bihar to take part in the state government's programme whenever he would be invited. "There is a need to raise awareness among people against the killing of girl child through this campaign," he said.

Lauding the efforts of the state government, Shroff, who made his debut as a leading man in Subhash Ghai's blockbuster Hero in the early 1980s, exhorted the people not to differentiate between the son and the daughter.

Choubey said that Shroff had accepted his offer to lead the Bitiya Bachao Andolan and promised to create awareness among the people to fight the social menace. He said that the actor had shared his concern on the social evil and agreed to support the cause being espoused by the state government.

Choubey stated that the killing of a girl child in her mother's womb was a crime which should be stopped forthwith. He said that while the people worshipped Goddess Durga on one hand, the girl child was being killed with impunity.

The minister said that involvement of a film star such as Shroff would help popularise the campaign.The health ministry of the Nitish Kumar government had launched the campaign in May this year amid reports about the rise in the number of female infanticide cases across the state. Spurred by Bollywood star Aamir Khan's television programme, Satyamev Jayate, the minister had initially wanted Aamir to become a brand ambassador of the campaign who had raised the issue on the show.Choubey had also written to Aamir seeking his help in creating awareness and popularising use of generic drugs among the people.

Aamir, in turn, wrote a letter to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to make available generic medicines to the common people in the state. "I urge you to work towards bringing about this dynamic revolution of making generic medicines available across the state of Bihar," Aamir said in his letter.

Aamir had also stated that generic medicines would make a huge difference to the poor and the middle class in the state.

State health department sources said that Aamir could not spare his time for the Bihar government's campaign because of his busy schedule but he might be involved in the state government's campaign in future.